Problem updating or repairing Word installation (Office 2000 SR1)

I have Office 2000 SR1 and Help About in Word reports "9.0.3821 SR-1", but the Macro Security Update (recently recommended again in WOW #6.30) refuses to install, saying "Microsoft Word 2000 is not at the SR-1 level".

I am suspicious that this might have something to do with the fact that my Word 2000 originally came as part of the Works suite pre-installed on my PC, with Office 2000 Professional (SR-1) supplied as an upgrade which I installed myself. (All proper and paid for, I hasten to add.) The Word supplied with Works presumably predated SR-1, because WINWORD.EXE on the Works CD is dated September 1999 and the Properties report version 9.0.2717. But the only WINWORD.EXE on my hard drive is dated February 2000, version 9.0.3822, matching the one on my Office CD.

As further evidence, the first time I used Word I had to enter the Product Key from the Works CD - the key from the Office CD wouldn't work, for Word, although it was OK for Excel and the other components. Even now, Help About shows a different ('OEM') Product ID for Word than for the other programs. But maybe that's normal for an installation by the upgrade route?

Finally, if I attempt to run Detect and Repair in Word it prompts for a 'Microsoft Word 2000' disk. It will not accept my Office 2000 CD - if I point it at that I get an error "The file DATA1.MS1 is not a valid installation package for the product Microsoft Word 2000" followed by "Error 1706. No valid source could be found for product Microsoft Word 2000".

I think Detect and Repair wants the Word CD from the Works suite; I do have that but I'm reluctant to use it, fearing that my installation will be 'repaired' to a pre-SR1 level, which is a move in the wrong direction.

Any idea what's going on? And if the fix involves some reinstallation, obviously I'd like to be reassured that I'm not going to get stuck with nothing working, particularly bearing in mind that I didn't do the original Works install.

Re: Problem updating or repairing Word installation (Office 2000 SR1)

This is another problem with OEM software. You might give your OEM a call and see if they will (can) help you out. Remember that they (the OEM's) want to sell you their versions of Office.

You might even think about uninstalling Office 200 and the OEM Word. Then reinstalling Office 200 only. I think the problem is tere is 2 sets of key codes and the update do not know which one to use where.
Just my <img src=/S/2cents.gif border=0 alt=2cents width=15 height=15> worth

Re: Problem updating or repairing Word installation (Office 2000 SR1)

Thanks Dave, I'll first try contacting the OEM (Gateway UK). I'm not sure I can uninstall both products then reinstall just Office 2000, because my Office 2000 CD is itself the Upgrade version, so it will presumably require Works 2000 to be present and correct before it will install.

Re: Problem updating or repairing Word installation (Office 2000 SR1)

Just reporting back with the solution in case anyone else has this problem: using Add/Remove Programs, just remove the Microsoft Word 2000 entry (which is the one that comes with Works). Perhaps surprisingly, this leaves the Office 2000 copy of Word still installed and working correctly (as far as I can tell!). I have also been able to apply the Macro Security Update now.

Thanks again to DaveA - this solution is close to what he suggested, i.e. remove Office and Works 2000's Word then reinstall Office, which does seem more logical in the 'last in first out' sense. In the end I was referred by Gateway to Microsoft UK, who advised that simply removing the 'wrong' Word is sufficient.